Computing machine



April 1941- E. E. PHINNEY 2.237.089

COMPUTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 16, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR 6962 Phi m y JMWQWEY April 1, 1941. E. E. PHINNEY COMPUTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 16, '19s?! 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E INVENTOR Z a E y? 1717a y ATTORNEY MQN April 1, 1941. 5:. E. PHiNNEY COMPUTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 16, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 nnnnnn) INVENTOR 549M 1? Phi/m ey Zm ATTQRNEY April 1, 1941. E, E PH|NNEY 2,237,089-

COMPUTING moms:

Filed Oct. 16, 1937- 5 SheetsSheet 5 NVENTOR I M ORNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1941 COMPUTING MACHINE Edgar Ellsworth Phinney, West Orange, N. J., as-

signor to Defiance Manufacturing Corporation, Orange, N. J., a corporation of New York Application October 16, 1937, Serial No. 169,413

1 Claim.

The invention has relation to computing machines, and particularly to control means therefor whereby one of more accumulators may be set for plus, minus or non-add operation, or whereby other operations of the machine may be controlled in accordance with the tabulated position of the carriage. Such a machine is shown in United States Patent No. 1,946,572, issued on February 13, 1934, to Loring P. Crosman. The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts as set forth in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through a computing machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the connections between the platen carriage and the index tube.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a cam plate fixed upon the carriage.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the index tube and associated parts.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the yieldable driving connections for the index tube.

Fig. 6 is a projection of the index tube.

Fig. 7 is a detail transverse section through the index tube and associated parts.

Fig. 8 is a left side elevation of the means for operating the index tube feelers.

Fig. 9 is a left side elevation of the computing machine, with the casing removed and parts broken away.

Fig. 10 is a detail right side elevation of the accumulator control devices.

The setting levers 9 of the lister are provided with segments i6 (Fig. 1), adapted to engage the pinions related to the numeral wheels of ac-= cumulators It, the shafts of these accumulators being adjustable to hold the pinions in or out of mesh with the segments during the various operations of the machine.

In order to provide for a considerable number of accumulators, segments is have each a roller 8 engaging a slot formed in a rack M9, having pin and slot support from the machine frame, the series of racks being engageable by any one or more of a series of additional accumulators i513. The shafts of these accumulators are as shown adjusted to hold the numeral wheel pinions out of mesh with the racks.

It will be obvious, that during the rocking of the main reciprocatory shaft 6 of the machine, segments l6 and racks I49 will be reciprocated, and

if any one of the accumulators l5 or I50 are thrown into mesh during the outward stroke of the levers 9 the numeral wheels will be rotated in a subtractive direction to an extent governed by the movement of stops it into contact with the depressed keys. On the other hand, if the accumulators are thrown into mesh during the return movement of levers 9, the accumulator wheels will be rotated in an additive direction, to an extent also governed by the position of the stops M.

The selection of the accumulators to be operated and the determination of plus or minus registration thereon is efi'ected by means of the index tube 501, this tube being rotated by an operating connection with the record carriage to bring variably indexed portions of its surface into active position.

A rail lbl (Figs. 2 and 3) is fixed upon the record carriage, and one edge of this rail is provided with a series of cam steps adapted in the movement of the carriage to displace a roller 652' mounted upon a segment arm 553, which is pivotally supported at 115d upon the framing of the machine. The segment teeth of arm mesh with a pinion E55 (Figs. 2, 4 and 5), and a plate 9%, fast with said pinion carries thereon a spring tensioned roller 65?, adapted normally to seat at the low point of a cam ltd. Rotation of pinion [55, during the carriage movement will therefore rotate the cam W8, and this cam has operative connection, through an arm 39 with shaft it, supporting and normally rigid with the index tube it'l.

The cam and spring roller connection forms a yleldable drive, so that should the record carriage be accidentally moved during the time that one of the feelers now to be described are in engagement with the tube, roller it? may be carried around the periphery of cam I158. Following such displacement of the roller itl, removal of the feeler from engagement with tube till will allow the roller, through spring action upon the cam, to rotate the tube into its correct relation with the record carriage.

Tube 601 extends at right angles to the shafts 29d of the accumulator wheels ldll, in proximity to the left hand ends thereof, and for each accumulator there is provided two feelers 2M (Figs. 6, '7 and 8), having noses adapted to move into slots 202 of the tube. Each feeler is provided with a pivot rod 203, supported at its free end in the perforation of a bar 204, lying parallel to the tube I01.

Rocking movement of a feeler 2m, to bring its nose into the slot 202 of the index tube, will carry its rod 203 toward the left, in Fig. '7, into position above the offset end of a rack 205 or 206 (Fig. 9). Racks 205 and 206 mesh with the teeth upon opposite sides of a pinion 201, having universal joint connection 208 with one of the shafts 200. The two feelers 20I related to each accumulator are intended to rotate the accumulator shaft in one or the other direction, by means of the racks 205, 206, in order to set the accumulator for plus or minus registration.

This is effected by means of collar cams 209 (Figs. 7 and 10), fast upon shafts 200 and cooperating with reciprocatory cam slides 2"), 2| I.

Slides 2), 2 are reciprocated at the end of the stroke of settling levers 9 in each direction, by means of a two fingered plate 2I2, fast upon shaft 6 and adapted to operate an arm 2l3, connected by link 2I4 with the cam slides 2"), 2| I. The high points of the cams of slides 2I0 are in line with the low point of the cams of slides 2| I, and the collar cams 209 have two distinct cam portions, one adapted to register with the slide 2) and the other with the slide 2, the high points of these two.cam portions of collar 299 being radially offset from each other.

The arrangement is such that normally the low points of both portions of the collar cams 209 are ,opposite the slides 2m, 2| I, rotation of shaft 200 in one direction bringing a low point of the collar cam opposite slide 2I0 and a high point thereof opposite slide 2I I, and reverse rotation of shaft 200 bringing a high point of the collar cam opposite slide 2I0 and a low point opposite slide 2| I. Slide 2I0 will have its high points opposite the collar cams during the return movement of the setting levers 9, and slide 2 will have its high points opposite collar cams during the outward reciprocation of levers 9, so that the rotative setting of the shafts 200 will have the effect of bringing a high point of the collar cam into engagement with a high point of one of the slides during the forward or return reciprocation of the parts, according to the direction in which the shaft 200 has been rotated. This engagement of the high point of a collar cam with the high point of a slide serves to move the shaft 200 toward the racks I29, so that the pinions of the accumulator wheels will be meshed and rotated additively or subtractively.

It is to be understood that the collar cams 209 and slides 2l0, 2 are duplicated at the opposite ends of the shafts 200.

. The accumulators I5 are similarly set by rotation of the register shafts through pinions 2I5 (Fig. 9), which correspond in their action with pinions 201 of the accumulators I50. The pinions 2 I 5 are connected each with one of the racks 206 by means of racks 2I6, bell crank levers 2H and links 2I8. The system of collar cams and cam slides for the accumulators I5 are closely similar to those of the accumulators I50, and are further shown and described in the patent hereinbefore referred to.

Power for setting the accumulators to positive or negative registering condition, in accordance with the feelers 20I which are engaged with the slots 202 of the index tube, is furnished through an operating connection between shaft 6 and the bar 204. Fast upon shaft 6 is a plate 2l9 (Fig. 9) having a cam surface 220, normally engaging a roller carried by a U-shaped lever 22 I, fulcrumed at 222, upon the framing of the machine. Clockwise rocking movement of shaft 6 will cause the cam surface 220 of plate 2l9 to-move lever 22I clockwise about point 222, depressing the free end of the lever and carrying therewith a link 223, pivoted to lever 22I at its-upper end and having a perforation at its lower end engaging a pin 224, fixed in a bail 225 (Figs. 1-9) which carries the bar 204. Depression of the free end of lever 22I therefore will rock bail 225 anddepress bar 204, thereby imparting pivotal movement to the rods 203 and causing any of said rods which are in projected position to operate the related rack 205 or 206 to set the related accumulator shafts. The roller of lever 22I will now leave cam surface 220 and the bar 202 will remain in depressed position until the return stroke of cam 2I9, just before the end of the cycle of operation, when said cam will restore lever 22 I. At the end of a cycle of operation of the machine the feelers 20| will be retracted, out of engagement with the slots 202 of index tube I 01 as follows:

Feelers 20! are normally held in inoperative position by means of a bail 226 (Figs. 7 and 8) pivoted upon the shaft 22! which supports the feelers 20L Bail 226 is held against shoulders 228 of the feelers by means of an arm 229 pivoted at 230 upon the framing of the machine and having link connection 23I with the bail 226. Arm 229 carries a pivoted latch 232 normally engaging a roller 233 on arm 234. .Arm 234 is supported on a roller 235 of the arm II2 reciprocated by shaft 6, this train of parts serving to hold the feelers 20I in retracted position against the tension of their springs 2%. Upon depression of operation key 08 and counter-clockwise movement of clutch control lever 50, as viewed in Fig. 9, an arm 2311, fast with lever 50 will also be rocked in counter-clockwise direction acting, through bell crank lever 238 and trigger 239 to move the latch pawl 232 out of engagement with roller 233, whereupon the feeler springs 230 will rock bail 226 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 8, pulling arm 229 and latch pawl 232 downward.

Rocking movement of shaft 8 will now carry the roller 235 of arm II2 out of engagement with the arm 220, whereupon spring 240 will rotate arm 234, bringing roller 233 again below the shoulder of latch pawl 232. During the return movement of shaft 6, roller 235 will encounter the end of arm 236, camming said arm upwardly, and bringing the parts into their original position and thereby lifting the feelers 20I out of the notches 202 of tube I 07.

The index tube I01 is so mounted that it may readily be removed from the machine, and replaced by a tube calling for a different succession of operations. Therefore tube I0? is supported upon collars 2M (Fig. 4) of the shaft I60, the rear end of shaft I60 being supported in bearings 242 and the forward end being supported by engagement of the tube with bearings 243. A spring latch 242 pivoted between jaws of the collar 2M upon the end of shaft I60, is adapted to engage a slot in the forward end of tube I01, whereby the shaft and tube will rotate in unison. To remove the tube I01 from the machine, latch 244 is rocked out of engagement with the slot of the tube, and the tube is then pulled out of the machine. The new tube is engaged over the finger piece of latch 244 and is seated upon the forward collar 24I and thereafter guided into the bearing 243 and pushed into fully inserted position, in which latch 244 will reengage the slot of the tube, thus locating the tube properly both in endwise movable .position and angularly rotative position.

I claim:

In a computing machine having an accumulator, value entering devices, and operating means; the combination of means for setting the accumulator for positive or negative registration,

including an adjustable positive setting element,

an adjustable negative setting element, a device movable by said operating means, a feeler having a pivoted connector element and displaceable to connect the positive setting element with the movable device, a feeder having a pivoted connector element and displaceable to connect the negative setting element with the movable device, and an index member adjustable to bring variably indexed portions of said member into the path of movement of one or the other of said feelers.

EDGAR E. PHLNNEY.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,257,089. April 1, 191 1.

' i EDGAR ELLSWORTH PHINNEY.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3, second column, line 1, in the claim, for the word "feeder" read --fee1erand that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrecti on there il l tha t the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of May, A. D. 19in.

Henry Van Arsdale, (5 Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,257,089. April 1, 19in.

' EDGAR ELLSNORTH PHINNEY.

It' is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above num bered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line 1, in the claim, for the word "feeder" read --feeler--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction there in'that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of May, A. D. 19in.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

